


In the Name of Making Bajoran Ensigns More Sociable

by gingayellow



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-13
Updated: 2014-10-13
Packaged: 2018-02-20 23:19:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2446757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/pseuds/gingayellow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place shortly after "Ensign Ro." Ro is still leaning to make friends. "Luckily," Guinan is there to help her out. [Written for Trick of Treat 2014]</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Name of Making Bajoran Ensigns More Sociable

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mercurie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercurie/gifts).



Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. Nothing recognizable here is mine!

Notes: This was written for Mercurie for Trick or Treat 2014. The treats listed for Guinan making a cocktail, or friendship with Ro. I combined. I hope you like it!

\--

 

Ro usually ate alone in her quarters, because it was easier for everyone. But she’d been eating alone for almost two weeks now, and even she was starting to miss seeing people outside of work, even if most of them would be glaring and/or ignoring. Still, she decided on a late dinner (2200 hours), when most people would be in bed or on duty.

And sure enough, Ten Forward was almost empty tonight. There was a middle-aged Bolian man staring intently at a dozen pads laid out on his table—obviously pulling an all nighter. Good, then he’d leave her alone.

Ro was about to sit near the windows, but then she saw someone was already there. A human woman with dark hair, looking over a plant that looked incredibly familiar to her term project for xenobotany in her last year of the Academy. Would it really kill anyone if she asked…

Oh, wait. Now she recognized the face. That was Chief O’Brien’s wife, which meant she’d know all about Ro already.

Ro frowned, and found a barstool.

“There you are.”

Ro shouldn’t have jumped. Guinan worked here. She seemed to live here, sometimes. And Ro was a Starfleet officer. But Guinan had this amazing/annoying ability to get past your defenses. Not to hurt you, though. Just to find out what made you tick.

“Good evening to you as well.” Ro tried to look collected. “I didn’t realize you expected me to show up in the middle of the night.”

Guinan kept smiling. “Well, I haven’t seen you in two weeks. For someone as old as me, that’s not a lot of time, but I figured at some point you’d get itching to speak to me again.”

Ro smiled back. “You think I’m that desperate for company.”

“Well, I’ve never seen you talk to anyone else.”

“That’s not true. I talked to La Forge. Once.”

Guinan gave her a look. “I don’t think telling him he was needed to pull an emergency shift, over the comm no less, counts as talking.” She started pouring various liquids into various glasses. “Most people can’t manage to be hermits on a space ship, even one as big as this. I’m impressed.”

Ro glared at her hands. “Well, it’s easy when no one trusts you.”

“I trust you. Captain Picard trusts you.”

She didn’t want to talk about it, but Guinan wasn’t going to let it go. “Even if it weren’t for my… history, I’d still be the one Bajoran on this ship.”

“So you’re an outcast.”

“That’s a colorful of putting it, but,” Ro watched as Guinan stirred some concoction. “I suppose I am.”

“Then you should get along with myself, Data, and Worf, to name a few. Just some helpful advice, offer Worf some prune juice as an ice breaker.”

Ro tried not to, but she laughed. “So you’re saying I should just walk up to Worf—the security chief and also a Klingon warrior—and offer him a drink?”

Guinan shrugged. “That’s what I do every day.”

“I’m sorry, but I just don’t see that happening.” Ro folded her arms across her chest.

“You don’t say.” Guinan handed her a glass. “Try this?”

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure yet—I’m experimenting with a new cocktail, and I’ve decided that you’re my guinea pig.”

Ro sighed, took a sip—and the next thing she knew, she was leaning over the bar table, coughing/screaming for water.

“Too strong?” Guinan’s serenity was as strong as ever as she gave Ro some water.

“Maybe,” and she needed to take a bigger gulp now. “Maybe just a little.”

“Try eating some Vulcan tea cakes,” O’Brien’s wife said from her seat. Just how long had she been listening? “That was a lifesaver when Guinan tried her ‘experiments’ on me.”

“Um—thanks.” Ro wasn’t used to people being nice to her, so she ducked her head. “I. I guess I’ll have some Vulcan tea cakes.” She looked back at O’Brien’s wife. “Would you like some, Mrs. O’Brien?”

“Please—and call me Keiko.”

As Keiko joined them, Guinan leaned forward to whisper. “One of the great things about this ship is that if you’re here long enough, even outcasts can fit in.”

Ro grinned wryly. “Even if their bartender tried to kill them in the name of making Bajoran Ensigns more sociable?”

“ **Especially** if their bartender tries to kill them in the name of making Bajoran Ensigns more sociable.”


End file.
